Buying Music I Love At the Store I Hate
on Nov 17, 2009A friend of mine gave me the new KISS album, “Sonic Boom,” for my birthday this weekend. We’re both fans, and it was a thoughtful gesture of rock ‘n roll solidarity as well as friendship. But when I unwrapped the package, my first thought was...

Parkour: We Ain’t Afraid Of No Concrete!
on Nov 13, 2009If you see a sweaty young guy sprinting past you downtown or on the University campus, jumping over trash cans and picnic tables and doing flips over concrete barriers or other architectural features, relax. He’s not a purse snatcher, he’s just p...

It’s a License Plate—It’s Supposed To Be Boring
on Nov 10, 2009I love art. You love art. John loves art. We all love art. But a vehicle’s license plate is no place for art. That’s what I’ve been bitching about for years in Montana, as the debate periodically bubbles up about the ever-fancier license plate...

If U txt & drv U suk
on Nov 5, 2009Finally, some good news about drinking and driving. Car and Driver magazine reported that texting while driving is more dangerous than drunken driving, thanks mostly to self-absorbed teenagers and undisciplined technodorks behind the wheel. Texting...

Enjoying the World Series in Semi-Ignorance
on Nov 2, 2009I am thoroughly digging this World Series, mostly as an educational event. That’s because I don’t have much of a stake in either team, beyond a mild dislike for the Yankees, and having a gonzo cartoonist/tattoo artist friend from Philadelphia. So...

Today’s Jack-O-Lantern, Tomorrow’s Roadkill
on Oct 29, 2009“You got to caaaaarve that punkin, you gotta caaaaaarve that punkin…” I’m belting out these words to the tune of Southern Culture on the Skids’ “Carve That Possum” when the kids get off the school bus. Their friends, doing their best Ki...

The Deseret News Needs a Marijuana Critic
on Oct 27, 2009The U.S. Attorney General’s recent recommendation for federal prosecutors to lighten up on medical marijuana users and distributors has launched a cottage industry of media reviewers for marijuana dispensaries. Denver’s hipster weekly, Westword,...

Astrology Rocks, If You’re a Scorpio
on Oct 23, 2009Up to now, here’s how I handled my daily horoscope: read all 12 capsules in the paper, decide which one I like best, and go with it. Sometimes these things are as unrealistic as hopes for an honest election in Afghanistan, but other times they’re...

Movies Guys Like: Blazing Saddles
on Oct 21, 2009Can a movie be wildly funny and horribly offensive at the same time? Anyone who watched Steve-O’s sock-sheathed wiener get bitten by a snake in Jackass 2 will tell you that it’s not only possible, but the more shockingly gross or offensive, the b...

Griz Tailgate Parties: Who Needs a Game?
on Oct 18, 2009The U of M Grizzlies put on a pretty good show in Saturday’s butt-clenching victory over Eastern Washington in Missoula. But even with the added hoopla of some sleek Corvettes driving across the turf carrying a bunch of leggy cheerleaders, and the...